LARAKSHA IMPACT FINANCE ENTERPRISE PRIVATE LIMITED

In their own words

LIFEPL - PROFILE Genesis The LARAKSHA IMPACT FINANCE ETERPRISE PRIVATE LIMITED (LIFE) is founded by Mr. A. Ramesh Kumar & Mrs. Usha Ramesh Kumar to address the acute gap in access to finance for children Education and Vocational Training in Rural families, Protection of Rural Livelihoods through Micro-enterprise, Providing access to clean water through financing Water-ATM and improving Habitat through financial access to dedicated Roofing solutions. Challenges: Rural families aspire to have quality Education in private schools where fees are to be paid up front and beyond their capacity. Parents get into the trap of money lenders or undergo great stress in seeking extended time for fee payment. Missing Middle Gap Rural Micro-Enterprises are generally starved of funding and have to depend on relatives and Money Lenders for their funds, thus creating financial and mental stress as well as impairing growth, earnings and Livelihoods. Access to clean drinking water in rural areas is a challenge and standalone water purification cum dispensing units providing pure water at affordable costs is a crying need. But these involve capital Investment and technology not easily possible for Rural Entrepreneurs. Rural families are in need of up gradation of Shelter from semi-permanent to permanent houses, for protection from the onslaught of nature. Affordable medium term solution for upgrading the Roof, which is the most vulnerable part of the house is necessary and a new dedicated Loan Product for this is needed. Action LIFE is working to design and deliver Innovative Financial Solutions to address the above unmet needs, particularly for weaker sections of the society in Rural areas. Mission To help build a society where every rural child has access to quality school education and employment oriented Vocational Training, every Rural Micro-enterprise gets the needed finance and every family has access to clean drinking water and an improved shelter. Vision To be the pioneer and preferred provider of financial access to Rural parents in the country to access quality Education and Vocational Training for the better future of their children. To be a leader in providing financial access to credit starved Rural micro-enterprises To be a pioneer in providing access to clean drinking water in rural and semi-urban areas through financing Self-help Groups and Micro-Entrepreneur’s to setup Water-ATM’s. To be a pioneer in creating a dedicated Roofing Finance Product for up gradation of Rural homes through appropriate Roofing solutions. To create value for all stakeholders by building a profitable business while providing financial access for unmet needs in hitherto underserved areas SOCIAL IMPACT Economically Weaker Sections and Low Income Groups in Rural and Semi-Urban areas. DIRECTORS Mr. A Ramesh Kumar Chairman & MD – LIFE President & Managing Trustee - LaRaksha Social Impact Trust Ashoka Fellow Director - UTI Mutual Fund Trustee Company Pvt Ltd Founder & Chairman - Swarna Pragati Housing Microfinance Pvt Ltd (SPHM) Ex-Chief General Manager - SBI Mrs. Usha Ramesh Kumar Director (CSR & HRM) – LIFE Managing Trustee – URK Animal Welfare and Charitable Trust Trustee – LaRaksha Social Impact Trust About the Chairman & Managing Director Mr. A. Ramesh Kumar is a reputed banker with more than three decades of experience in India and internationally with SBI, the largest bank in India. As CGM (International Business) of SBI, he was the head of all International offices and subsidiaries of the Bank. He was earlier CGM of SBI’s Mumbai Circle, the largest Circle in SBI, consisting of 850 branches, 25,000 employees and a large share of the Business and Profits of the Bank. His vision led the SBI to several important Milestones. Subsequently, he was the MD & CEO of a NBFC, owned by a Foreign Fund, financing Corporates for special situations and illiquid assets. He is the Founder & Chairman of SPHM, a Pioneer in Rural housing Microfinance, with trail blazing Innovations acclaimed across the world. AWARDS OF CHAIRMAN & MANAGING DIRECTOR *Awarded Ashoka International Fellowship in 2015 for his entrepreneurial Vision and felicitated by the President of India. *Winner of Wall Street Journal Financial Inclusion Challenge for the Asia Pacific Region, 2016, Jury Award and People’s Choice Awards. *Awarded Top Social Innovator Award by Govt. of India in Jan 2017 and felicitated by the Prime Minister. *Semi-Finalist, European Microfinance Award - 2017 for “Microfinance for Housing” *Awarded the Manager of the year & Best Enterprise – Housing Finance India Award by Socrates Society, Oxford and European Business Assembly, 2017. *Awarded Social Innovator of the Year Award 2017 & Rural Action Award, 2017 by Responsible Business Awards, India, 2017. *Awarded Best Social Impact Home Finance – India Award from Capital Finance International, 2017.

Written by the company on its public Startup India profile. Not verified by us.